Flap cutter



Nov. 24, 1964 Filed 001;. 15, 1962 K. A. FISHER FLAP CUTTER 6 Sheets-Sheet 1 K. A. FISHER Nov. 24, 1964 FLAP CUTTER 6 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Oct. 15, 1962 w 0 r e7 3 n y L A .fi

Jmm E m K. A. FISHER FLAP CUTTER Nov. 24, 1964 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed 001;. 15, 1962 w? w w o J f aw 9w 9. @w 9 mm mm 9w #772 rnfy Nov. 24, 1964 K. A. FISHER 3,153,055

FLAP CUTTER Filed Oct. 15, 1962 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 United States Patent 3,158,055 FLAP CUTTER Kenneth Atkinson Fisher, Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada,

assignor to Molson Breweries Limited, Montreal,

Quebec, Canada, a corporation of Canada Filed Oct. 15, 1%2, Ser. No. 230,659 Claims priority, applitigationlganada, July 27, E62,

4 Claims. (or. ss 9s fore, machines which remove a plurality of bottles simultaneously from a plurality of cartons. However, for operation of such machines, it is necessary that unrestricted access to each bottle in each of the cartons be assured. This requires that the top closure flaps either be removed from the carton or tucked in.

Tricking-in is unsatisfactory and hence attention has been directed to removal of the top closure flaps.

Removal of the top closure flaps may be done either manually or mechanically. Manual removal is obviously slow, tedious and inefficient. Mechanical means heretofore employed have included rotary saws. Such rotary saws are noisy, tend to jam, and are messy due to the sawdust formed.

Accordingly, it is a prime feature of the present invention to provide an efiicient machine for cutting the top closure flaps from cartons.

A subsidiary feature of this invention is the provision of such a machine which is essentially trouble-free.

A still further subsidiary feature of this invention is the provision of such a machine which can rapidly cut the top closure flaps from cartons.

According to a broad aspect of this invention there is provided a carton flap removing machine comprising:

Amain frame; a conveyor on said main frame for feeding cartons to said machine and away from said machine; a plurality of sets of counter-rotating, overlapping, rotary shears, each shear positively driven and being rotatable about a vertical axis; a plurality of ploughs for engaging and pivoting said flaps of said carton to a vertically upstanding position to be severed by an associated set of said shears; said conveyor advancing said carton to said counter-rotating shears in spaced relation to the frontal faces of said shears; and means for disposing of said severed flaps.

By another specific feature of this invention there is provided a carton flap removing machine comprising:

A main frame; a conveyor on said main frame for feeding cartons to said machine and away from said machine; a plurality of sets of counter-rotating, overlapping, rotary shears, each shear being positively driven and being rotatable about a vertical axis; means for rotating said rotary shears; a plurality of ploughs for elevating and directing said flaps of said carton to a vertically upstanding position to be severed by an associated set of said shears; a plurality of sets of gripping rollers for engaging said elevated flaps for directing said flaps and said carton through said machine; means for rotating said rollers; said conveyor advancing said carton to said counterrotating shears in spaced relation to the frontal faces of said shears; and means for disposing of said severed flaps.

In drawings which illustrate embodiments of this invention,

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a machine according to this invention,

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of the machine of FIG. 1,

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view, looking from the right hand side, of the machine of FIG. 1,

FIG. 4 is a top plan View, partly in section, of the driving means for operation of the machine of FIG. 1,

FIG. 5 is a top plan view partly in section of the flap feeding means and flap cutting means of the machine of FIG. 1, showing the path of the flaps,

FIG. 6 is a section along the line VIVI of FIG. 1,

FIG. 7 is a section along the line VIIVII of FIG. 1, and

FIG. 8 is a front elevational view, partly in section, of another embodiment of this invention.

As seen in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, the flap cutting machine, indicated generally as It) consists of three sections, a feeding section 11, a flap removal section 12 and a flap disposal section 13.

The carton feeding section includes a roller conveyor 14, provided with a plurality of rollers 15, each roller being freely rotatably mounted by means of axles 16 journaled in the frame member 17. The cartons 18 shown by broken lines, are manually and gravitationally fed along the roller conveyor, with the flaps l9 raised, so that the flaps 19 enter the spaces 2i) between ploughs 21, which may suitably be formed of sheet metal. The ploughs are shown in FIG. 2 to be attached to the machine by means of hexagonal bolts 22.

The so-fed cartons with flaps 19 raised continue to pass through the machine. The flaps are then gripped by rotating rubber feed rollers, indicated diagrammatically as 23 in FIG. 1, at flap removal section 12. By such means, the flaps are urged into contact with counter-rotating rotary shears, indicated diagrammatically as 24 in FIG. 1. By these means, the flaps are cut oil.

The carton with its flaps cut off proceeds along roller conveyor 14 to the next stage where the bottles are removed.

The removed fiaps are met as they emerge from the flap removal section 12, by a high velocity gaseous blast in the exhaust plenum 25 of a blower 26 driven by a motor 27. In this way, the flaps are disposed of along the discharge chute 28. The path of the flaps is indicated by arrows 29, while the path of the cartons is indicated by arrows 30.

The rotary shears 24 may be mechanically rotated by sprocket, driven sprocket 34 and drive chain 33 are pro-" tected by a housing 35. A gear box 36 is provided in operative association with the driven sprocket 34, and a drive shaft 36 upon which a drive sprocket 37 is mounted is situated within the gear box. The drive shaft 36 and drive sprocket 37 is also located with a drive box housing 38 (see FIG. 4) within which are a plurality of feed roller a.

drive sprockets 39, mounted on feed roller shafts 40 and rotary shear drive sprockets 41 mounted on rotary shear shafts 42. A roller chain 45 is laced through the sprockets to engage the drive sprocket 37, the feed roller drive sprockets 39, a roller sprocket 43 and the rotary shears drive sprockets 41 so that the feed rollers 23 and the rotary shears 24 are rotated consecutively countercurrently. The idler sprocket 43 is mounted on an idler shaft 44 which is pivotally mounted to move in the direction shown by arrow 46-46. In this Way, the slack on the roller chain 45 may be taken up. Each of the sprockets 37, 39, 41 and 43 rotate in the direction shown.

FIG. 5 shows somewhat more clearly the operation of the feed rollers 23 and the rotary shears 24, as well as the path followed by the flaps. The feed rollers, shown generally as 23 comprise three sets 47 of counter-rotating rollers, each set comprising a clockwise rotating roller 48 and a counterclockwise rotating roller 49, each of rollers 48 and 49 being mounted on its respective shaft 49. The structure of feed rollers 48 and 49 will be specified hereinafter in FIG. 7. The rotary shears shown generally as 24, comprise three sets 59 of counter-rotating shears, each set comprising an upper clockwise rotating rotary shear 51 and a lower, lapping, counter-clockwise rotating rotary shear 52. The structure of the rotary shears 51 and 52 will be specified hereinafter in FIG. 6.

Turning first to FIG. 6, this shows one of the sets 59 of rotary shears. Clockwise rotating rotary shear 51 is threaded, on right hand threads, onto the lower end of its associated shaft 42, while counterclockwise rotating rotary shear 52 is threaded, on a left hand thread, onto the lower end of its associated shaft 42. Each of the shears 51 and 52 are composed of a main body portion 53 and a circumferential shearing flange 54. The shearing flange 54 of rotary shear 51 overlaps the shearing flange 54 of rotary shear 52 at 61, in order to provide the means for shearing off the flaps 19 from the carton 18. The midportion of each shaft 42 is journalled into its respective ball-bearings 55 fixed to a horizontal frame member 56 associated with and forming the bottom of drive box housing 38. Each of the drive sprockets 41 is keyed to its Q associated shaft 42 and is maintained in position by a nut 57 on a threaded portion 58 near the top of its associated shaft 42. Each shaft 42 is journalled, at its top end, to its respective ball-bearing 59, fixed to a top horizontal frame member 60, associated with and forming the top of drive box housing 38.

Turning now to FIG. 7, this shows one of the sets 47 of the feed rollers, clockwise rotating feed roller 48 is attached to the lower end of its associated vertical shaft 40 by means of retaining bolt 62, while counterclockwise rotating feed roller 49 is attached to the lower end of its associated vertical shaft 4% by means of retaining bolt 62. Each of the rollers 48 and 4% is composed of an upper retaining ring 63 and a lower retaining ring 64 joined by a connecting rib 65, and is fitted with an inner sleeve 66 and an outer rubber gripping roller 67. The outer rubber gripping roller 67 of roller 48 abuts the outer gripping roller 67 of roller 49 to provide a gripping surface therebetween for the flaps 19 of the cartons 18. The midportion of each shaft 46 is journalled into its respective ball-bearing 68, fixed to horizontal frame member 56, which is associated with and forms the bottom of drive box housing 38. Each of the drive sprockets 39 is keyed to its associated shaft 4t and is retained thereon by a nut 69 on a threaded portion 79 near the top of its associated shaft 40. Each shaft 49 is journalled, at its top end, to its respective ball bearing 71, fixe/d to a top horizontal frame member 60, associated with and forming the top of drive box housing 38.

The operation of the embodiment of FIGS. 1-7 may be represented as follows: A pair of cmtons 18 is manually and gravity fed, in a side-by-side relation along conveyor 14, with the flaps 19 raised and directed between the ploughs 21. The ploughs guide the flaps, in a vertical position, between the respective sets 47 of rollers 48 and 49, which are rotating about vertical axes. The flaps are then force fed between respective sets of upper rotary shear 51 and lower rotary shear 52, which are also rotating about vertical axes, thereby severing the flaps 19 from the cartons 18, and permitting the cartons to discharge,

by gravity along the conveyor 14. The severed flaps 19 are discharged through chute 28 by a stream of air from centrifugal blower 26.

The embodiment shown in FIG. 8 differs from the embodiment shown in FIGS. 17 in two respects, namely no rubber feed rollers 23 are used, and the rotary shears are operatively driven in a different manner. FIG. 8 represents the flap removal section 12 of the machine, the feeding section 11 and the flap disposal section 13 being the same as shown in FIGS. l-3.

The construction and mounting of the rotary shears 24 are the same as shown in FIG. 6. However, the shears are fixed to the lower end of shaft 42 by means of retaining nuts 72. The driving of the rotary shears is effected by means of intermeshing gears 73, which may be of bevel construction for a quieter operation, each mounted on a shaft 42. A drive shaft 36 drives one of the intermeshing gears 73 by means of rotation of a pulley 74 driven by a drive belt 76 and a drive pulley 75 mounted on the shaft 77 of the motor 78.

The operation of this embodiment is the same as for the embodiment of FIGS. l-7, with the exception that the flaps are fed through the machine due to co-operation between the gravity feed, due to the action of directly driven horizontal conveyor rollers upon which the cartons rest and are propelled and the friction between the overlapping rotary shears 51 and 52.

While the driving means in this embodiment has been shown to be pulleys and a drive belt, sprockets and a drive chain may alternatively be used. In addition, in all embodiments, a roller conveyor has been shown, but other equivalent conveying means well known to those skilled in the art, for example, belt conveyors, may be used.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclufive property or privilege is claimed are defined as folows:

l. A carton flap removing machine comprising:

(a) a main frame,

(b) a conveyor on said main frame for feeding cartons to said machine and away from said machine,

(0) a plurality of sets of counter-rotating, overlapping, rotary shears, each shear positively driven and being rotatable about a vertical axis,

(:1) a plurality of ploughs for engaging and pivoting said flaps of said carton to a vertically upstanding position to be severed by an associated set of said shears,

(c) said conveyor advancing said carton to said counter-rotating shears in spaced relation to the frontal faces of said shears, and

(f) means for disposing of said severed flaps.

2. A carton flap removing machine comprising:

(a) a main frame,

(b) a conveyor on said main frame for feeding cartons to said machine and away from said machine,

(c) a plurality of sets of counter-rotating, overlapping, rotary shears, each shear being positively driven and being rotatable about a vertical axis,

((1) a plurality of ploughs for engaging and pivoting said flaps of said carton to vertically upstanding position to be severed by an associated set of said shears,

(e) a plurality of sets of gripping rollers for engaging said flaps to direct said flaps and said carton through said machine,

( said conveyor advancing said carton to said counter-rotating shears in spaced relation to the frontal faces of said shears; said ploughs (d) and said rollers (e) cooperating to direct said flaps to a position to be severed by said shears, and

(g) means for disposing of said severed flaps.

3; A carton flap removing machine comprising:

(a) a main frame,

(b) a conveyor on said main frame for feeding cartons to said machine and away from said machine,

(c) a plurality of sets of counter-rotating, overlapping, rotary shears, each shear being positively driven and being rotatable about a vertical axis,

(d) means for rotating said rotary shears,

(e) a plurality of ploughs for elevating and directing said flaps of said carton to a vertically upstanding position to be severed by an associated set of said shears,

(7) said conveyor advancing said carton to said counter-rotating shears in spaced relation to the frontal faces of said shears, and

(g) means for disposing of said severed flaps.

4. A carton flap removing machine comprising:

(e) a plurality of ploughs for elevating and directing said flaps of said carton to a vertically upstanding position to be severed by an associated set of said shears,

(f) a plurality of sets of gripping rollers for engaging said elevated flaps for directing said flaps and said carton through said machine,

(g) means for rotating said rollers,

(h) said conveyor advancing said carton to said counter-rotating shears in spaced relation to the frontal faces of said shears, and

(i) means for disposing of said severed flaps.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,206,686 Benjamin et al. Nov. 28, 1916 1,209,991 Nordstrom Dec. 26, 1916 2,666,485 Antosh Ian. 19, 1954 2,732,619 Labine Jan. 31, 1956, 3,068,622 Brownlee Dec. 18, 1962 

1. A CARTON FLAP REMOVING MACHINE COMPRISING: (A) A MAIN FRAME, (B) A CONVEYOR ON SAID MAIN FRAME FOR FEEDING CARTONS TO SAID MACHINE AND AWAY FROM SAID MACHINE, (C) A PLURALITY OF SETS OF COUNTER-ROTATING, OVERLAPPING, ROTARY SHEARS, EACH SHEAR POSITIVELY DRIVEN AND BEING ROTATABLE ABOUT A VERTICAL AXIS, (D) A PLURALITY OF PLOUGHS FOR ENGAGING AND PIVOTING SAID FLAPS OF SAID CARTON TO A VERTICALLY UPSTANDING POSITION TO BE SEVERED BY A AN ASSOCIATED SET OF SAID SHEARS, (E) SAID CONVEYOR ADVANCING SAID CARTON TO SAID 